Chevelle - NIRATIAS, 3/5/21

If you're like me you might be wondering what NIRATIAS means. It stands for Nothing is Real and This is a Simulation. Lead singer Pete Loeffler said he is not into conspiracies, but that he did draw some inspiration from thoughts of space exploration such as that which is currently happening through NASA and SpaceX.  This is Chevelle's first album release in five years following 2016's The North Corridor. That album was kind of an industrial experiment. This one harkens back to the riff rock of 2014's masterpiece La Gorgola, and many even say their early albums from 1999-2004. To me, it has that unbridled energy, but with much more mature writing. The timing of the release might lead you to think that this was a quarantine written special, but actually Chevelle recorded throughout 2019 and into early 2020 and were basically done with this record by the time the pandemic hit. In 2019 their bassist of 14 years called it quits to focus on family, and Chevelle essentially became a duo with the original founding brothers Sam (drums) and Pete (guitar, vocals). Pete wrote everything except the drum parts on this record, and it was produced by Joe Barresi [Tool, Queens of the Stone Age] who has done every Chevelle album since 2011's Hats Off to the Bull. I'll do my best to describe it, but this music certainly has to be heard and experienced.

1. Verruckt - The title means "crazy" in German. Surprisingly the album opener is an instrumental with a series of beefy riffs that sound like they could just as easily be from a groove metal band.

2. So Long, Mother Earth - This song starts with some clean guitar picking at a frenetic pace then settles into some slower riffs and then into these looping chords. This sound reminds me of Muse. The lyrics are not explicitly telling a story, but obviously refer to man's overconsumption of natural resources saying "how dare we" and "so long" to Mother Earth.

3. Mars Simula - Since Earth was left for dead this song is about inhabiting Mars.  It's pretty heavy with deep chugging bass lines.  You can bang your head to this for sure.

4. Sleep the Deep - a one minute interlude. Eerie. Unnecessary except that it gives you time to catch your breath after the assault you just heard at the top of the album.

5. Self Destructor - This is the first single, and this is Chevelle at the top of their hard rock game. "They don't care what the science says. They don't wanna talk." Pete laments. This is the most social commentary I've heard from Chevelle. The riffs are strong and punishing. Pete sings and screams like only he can do. See the video here https://youtu.be/QhPn5EPGN4c

6. Piistol Star (Gravity Heals) - An upbeat song structure, but with lyrics that sound like an apology: "Not like I sold the world. Not like I stole your best. I'll never learn. Look right into the sun"

7. VVurmhole - a 20 second interlude; skippable

8. Peach - A song about Trump and all of his lovely qualities "Little Man ... Little Hands ... Gentleman, he says, just grab that peach ... This narcissist with his conscious fits"

9. Test Test…Enough - This song has a real simple riff played through a delay effect. Pete's vocals are heavily echoed. At only 2:09, this song definitely makes you long for more.

10. Endlessly - This is the most emotional song, and the closest thing to a ballad, yet it has a driving rhythm. I can definitely picture a video where someone is running in slow motion.  There's a feeling of loneliness and helplessness.  In the verses, the percussion drops to just a bass drum that sounds like a heartbeat with a click over top.

11. Remember When - This song has a slower tempo with a very basic drum beat, some silky riffs with phazer effects, and melodic vocals I might go so far as to describe as haunting or dreamy.  Classic Chevelle sound in the vein of Vitamin R (Leading Us Along).

12. Ghost and Razor - The dirty riffs are back!  Vocals echo. The lyrics seem to imply a day of reckoning and suffering for past transgressions.

13. Lost in Digital Woods - The outro is basically a musical poem; Pete is whispering to a piano/keyboard backdrop melody, but he is talking about "raising a hand" which to me sounds like a call to arms. Two and a half minutes in there is some noise and then a very distorted guitar playing a callback to the riff of Test Test...Enough until the record fades out with the faint sound of a whistling UFO.

I love how all Chevelle albums are different, and yet you know you are going to get good guitar rock from these guys.  Pete is not real verbose with his lyrics, but he is poetic, and he fits the words to fit the song.  There are songs to bang your head to and songs to sing along with.  If this is a concept album, it is a concept album that very much works for me.  I can listen to it top to bottom.  I have a high bar for these guys and they have had albums with more signature singles.  Overall: 8/10